Aviator&#39;s goggles



Jan. 9, 1934. N. M. BAKER AVIATORS GOGGLES Original Filed June 15, 1927INVENT OR BY Nelson IILBaket:

Patented Jan. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE American OpticalCompany, Southbridge,

Mass., a voluntary association of Massachusctts Original applicationJune 15, 1927, Serial No.

Divided and this application May 21,

1929. Serial No. 364,794

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in goggles and the like and hasparticular reference to a goggle used for the purposes of aviation.

This application is a division of my applica- ;tion Serial Number199,013 filed June 15, 1927.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a properly centeredpair of lenses with adjustable means for holding them rigidly in properrelation to the eyes of the wearer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pair of wide visionlenses with means for holding them rigidly in proper relation to theeyes of the wearer.

Another object of the invention is to provide readily adjustable meansthat will hold the lenses rigidly in aligned position when adjusted tothe facial requirements of the wearer.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means forregulating the distance be- 20 tween the lenses and for locking the samerigidly to the regulated distance.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means foradjusting the lenses and the eye cups of the whole goggle to the facialrequirements of the wearer and securing the same in such adjustedposition.

Another object of the invention is to provide ductile means connectingthe two lenses which may be readily bent to conform the eye cups to thefacial requirements of the wearer.

Another object of the invention is to provide adjustable means on themembers connecting the two lenses that may be centered with respect tothe two lenses after the distance between the same has been fixed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing and it will be understood that many changes may be made in thearrangements and details of parts without departing from the spirit ofthe invention as set forth in the accompanying claims. I, therefore, donot wish to be limited to the exact details shown and described, thepreferred forms only having been shown by Way of illustration.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective side and front view of 50 the device of theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the said device;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear view of the bridge means;

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 44 of Fig. 2 looking in the directionof the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the jaws in open instead ofclosed position.

Up to the present time it has been customary to provide aviation andother types of protection goggles with the so-called piano or no powerlenses. It has been found, however, in lenses of this type that therewere distortions and refractive errors present and that to obtain theideal conditions for the wearers eyes the lenses should be designed witha proper center and should be held securely before the eyes of thewearer in this centered position. Lenses of this character have beenrecently designed by the assignee of this application and it is one ofthe objects of this invention to provide suitable holding means forthese lenses. It has also been customary to make aviation goggles with aso-called hinged bridge or connecting member. It is clear that with aloose or hinged bridge connection the required relationship between thelenses and the eye cannot be maintained. The present invention has beendesigned to overcome this difficulty.

Another objection to aviation goggles has been the limited field ofvision. In the present invention the widest possible range of vision hasbeen obtained with centered lenses which are rigidly and accuratelysecured in proper alignment with the eyes of the wearer.

Referring to the drawing in which similar characters of reference areused to denote corresponding parts throughout, a pair of properlycentered and designed wide vision lenses 1 are mounted in an eye cupframe 2 having a front flange or lens retaining seat 3. The frame 2 isshaped in general contour to that of the orbital arch of the wearersface. On the inside of the eye cup frame 2 and spaced therefrom is aretaining frame 4. Between the frame 2 and the retaining frame 4 is aprojecting portion 5 of a resilient face contacting member 6. This facecontacting member is preferably of rubber or other soft and resilientcontacting substance. The resilient member 6 is held between the members2 and 4 either by sewing through the projecting portion 5, or cementing,riveting or other means. The projecting portion 5 is also subject to aclamping action because of the bringing together of the end pieces 7 ofthe frame 2 by means of the holding screw 8 which carries the head bandor temple connection 9 which is pivoted on the screw 8, as clearlyindicated in section in Fig. 1. The temple connection 9 is slotted at 10and an elastic head" band 11 is entered through the opening 10 andsecured in place around the member 9 by sewing or otherwise. The elastichead band 11 may be provided with a buckle or other means for adjustingit to the head of the wearer.

The eye cup frames 2 areconnected with each other by two ductilebridging or spacing members 21 and 22, respectively, 21 being the upperconnection, and 22 the lower connection. "Both'the connecting members 21and 22 are divided and overlap each other, being provided in the way oftheir overlapping portions with the teeth'23 which inter-engage eachother. The ends of these members opposite their overlapping portions are$01- dered or otherwise secured to the eye cup frame 2. These membersare ductile so that they may be bent by the exertion of pressure, butthey are rigid enough to maintain the two eye cup frames in adjustedposition from which they are not readily deflected. Interengaging withthe bridge members 21 and 22 is a clamping member 24. This clampingmember 24 comprises a supporting plate 25 having the projecting ears 26to which is pivoted a lever 27 at the pivot 28. The lever 27 is a camlever, as shown in Fig. 5. Overlying the supporting plate 25 and spacedtherefrom is the clamp plate 29 having recesses 30 to receive thebridging members 21 and 22, as the case may be. The clamping member 29lies between the plate 25 and the cam lever 27. It will be clear thatwhen the cam lever 27 is pushed down in the position shown in Fig. 4 theclamp plate 29 is forced down tightly over the bridging members 21 and22 locking them securely in place by means of their interengaging teeth23. When the lever 27 is pushed up as shown'in Fig. 5 the teeth of theoverlapping portions of the bridging members 21 and 22 may be withdrawnfrom engagement and the members 21 and 22 may be slid along to changethe distance betweenthe eyecup frames. When the lever 27 is in anintermediate position between the closed'or clamping one and the open orsliding one, the clamping member 24 as a whole may be slid on thebridging members 21 and 22 to position the clamping member 24' midwaybetween the eyecups '2. It will be clear that the clamping member 24provides for three distinct operations; one, to lock the bridgingmembers 21 and 22 rigidly in clamped posit-ion; second, to' allow thebridging members 21 and 22 to be slid along, to lengthen or shorten thedistance between'the two eye cup frames 2; and third, after the properadjustment between the eye cup frames has been made to position theclamp member 24 as a whole midway between the two eye cup frames.

It will also be clear that as the members 21 and 22 are ductile, thesemembers may be bentor adjusted by bending to more securely and snuglyfit the eye cup frames 2 to the facial requirements of the wearer, thusproviding means of adjustmentthat will position the two lenses in theirrequired relationship to the eyes of the wearer and hold them securelyin this position.

It will be noted, Fig. 1, that the upper bridging member 21 in the lefthand eye cup as shown in ing member on the outside and the other on theinside of the overlapping connection.

In other words, the bridging portions of one eye cup have one bridging'th'e parts in such a way as to make them rigid- 1 maintain the saidrelationship.

i-Iaving described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, means for holding a pair oflenses, a bridge member secured to each of the lens holding means andextending towards the other lens holding means and overlying eachotherand clamping means embracing the overlying members comprising asupporting plate in contact with one of the bridge members, said platehaving an extension extending beyond the other bridge member, a camplate pivoted on the extension and a movable clamp plate between the camand adjacent bridge 95 member said cam being adapted to move the clampplate against the adjacent bridge member and to lock it there to holdthe bridge members in adjusted position.

2. Ina device of the character described, means for holding a pair oflenses, 2. bridge member secured to each of the lens holding means andextending towards the other lens holding means and overlying each otherand clamping means embracing the overlying members comprising asupporting plate in contact with one of the bridge members, said platehaving an extension extending beyond the other bridge member, a camplate having a lever handle pivoted on the extension and a movable clampplate between the cam and adjacent bridge member said cam being adaptedto move the clamp plate against the adjacent bridge member and to lockit there to hold the bridge members in adjusted position.

3' In a device of the character described, means for holding a pair oflenses, a bridge member secured to'each of the lens holding means andextending towards the other lens'holding means and overlying each otherand having members intere'ng'aging with each other and clamping 12(means embracing the overlying members comprising a supporting plate incontact with one of the bridge members, said plate having an extensionextending beyond the other bridge member, a cam plate pivoted on theextension and a mov- 125 able clamp plate between the cam and adjacentbridge member said cam being adapted to move the clamp plate against theadjacent bridge member and to lock it there to hold the bridge membersin adjusted position.

4. In a device of the character described, means for holding a pair oflenses, a bridge member secured to each of the lens holding means andextending towards the other lens holding means and overlying each otherand clamping means 135 embracing the overlying members comprising asupporting plate in contact with one of the bridge members, said platehaving an extension extending beyond the other bridge membena cam platepivoted on the extension and a movable clamp 140 plate between the camand adjacent bridge member and having a recessed portion into which theadjacent bridge member extends said cam being adapted to move the clampplate against the adjacent bridge member and to lock it there to hold145 thebridge members in adjusted position. I

NELSON M. BAKER.

